Dancers
by wolf of infinity
Summary: Cream's chances of participating in an ice dancing competition is ruined when her partner is hurt. If only she knew someone strong, handsome and kind who can skate... Wait, she does know someone! Now to actually ask him... Cream and Shadow friendship fic.


_Hello~ _

_I'm back with a new story for you all, if you're interested __^^ This time it's a Sonic the Hedgehog fan fiction, as I have lately been watching some episodes of the cute anime :3 It's about Cream and Shadow, and NO, it's NOT a romantic pairing! I tried portraying it as a friendship/brother-sister relationship, mainly because I wanted to try it out, and found it rather cute :3_

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of its characters!_

_So, yeah… I hope you like it! ^^_

_oOoOo_

"That's great, Cream, beautiful!" Cream landed delicately back on the ice after successfully doing the jump she'd been practicing for quite a while. She had started ice skating two years ago, and she was getting really good at it.

It felt great to be the one to do things and be good at something. Travelling with Sonic and the others, experiencing adventures and stuff like that was fun, of course, and she loved it! But few things beat when she could just put on a pair of skates and completely focus on what she loved to do. It had started out as a hobby, but it had developed into a burning passion for the young rabbit.

"I did it!" she beamed, smiling brightly as she skated over to her instructor who smiled back.

"You really did! You've gotten so good at this, Cream!" Leah, as her instructor was named, looked as though she was thinking about something, and Cream tilted her head slightly to the side, sensing that the older woman wanted to say something.

"You know… Cream, would you like to participate in a competition?" she asked, and Cream blinked in confusion and also eagerness.

"Yes! But… I thought you said there were no competitions for a while…" Cream said, a bit confused.

"I did. What I meant was that there are no solo competitions yet. However, there is one for pairs coming up in only three weeks." Leah smiled and Cream felt her heart beating quicker. She had been practicing pair dance with some of the other students of Leah, and had enjoyed it very much. "I asked Ray if he wanted to participate, and he said that he'd like to. So?"

"Oh, Miss Leah, I'd… I'd love to!" Cream beamed, unable to contain her excitement at this news. She couldn't wait to go home and tell her mother and Chao!

_oOoOo_

Training went very well the next week. She and the young fox, Ray, met up with Leah often to train on the moves, and things went smoothly towards the competition.

That is… things _were_ going smoothly, until it suddenly wasn't anymore…

"That's it, Ray, support her now!" Leah called encouragingly for the two dancing across the ice. The boy looked very concentrated as he went to perform the lift that they had been practicing for a while now. Cream could practically feel how nervous he was. He never was good at the lifts; it was like he feared he'd drop her.

That in turn made her nervous, and she found herself subconsciously preparing to hit the ice while he struggled to get the technique right. He didn't drop her, and the look on success and relief on his face made her smile.

That is, until he suddenly seemed to lose his footing on the ice, gasping as he somehow managed to set her down awkwardly before falling, twisting his feet in a very unhealthy way as he slid across the ice.

"Ray!" Leah came over to them, as Cream got up, a bit shaky. She hurried over to her friend, wincing at the pained expression on his face. Leah quickly checked him, and Cream could practically feel her chance at performing at the competition get flushed down the drain…

She could only stand there and practically felt her heart sinking to somewhere deep in her stomach as she watched Leah drive him off to the hospital.

Her conscience was nagging at her for being so selfish, but she had really been looking forward to her first competition, and now… now it wouldn't happen. None of the other students wanted to participate, and she felt tears springing to her eyes as she walked slowly home, with her skates in her hand.

If only there was someone who would want to dance with her! She had always dreamed of dancing a perfect, flawless ice dance at the applause of the crowd. In her dreams, she was dancing with a boy who was handsome, strong and gentle. Someone who was good at skating, and who held her hand gently after they finished.

Too bad she didn't know someone like that…

Suddenly she stopped, blinking the tears out of her eyes and with her mouth forming an 'o' in shock. She did know someone like that! Someone strong and handsome who were great at skating!

"No, Cream, he'll never agree…" she snorted to herself, shaking her head as she stood there in the shine of the street lights. But the idea seemed to have settled in her mind, and drove her feet onto a road that didn't lead her home.

_oOoOo_

Biting her lip, she waited outside the small apartment where he had started living after he came back last time. She could only pray he was there, because it seemed that he was more often out somewhere than actually at home.

As she waited, her idea suddenly seemed very stupid and she was already regretting coming here. Turning on her heel, she wanted to leave quickly, but the sound of a door opening quickly made her silent retreat impossible.

"Miss Cream?" his voice sounded surprised, and as she turned back, she gave a small, shaky smile at the handsome hedgehog standing in the door way, looking fairly confused.

"G-good evening, Mr. Shadow," she greeted shyly, feeling even more stupid as she looked into his beautiful deep red eyes.

"Good evening. May I ask what brings you here at this hour…?" Cream swallowed, glancing at her shoes and anywhere but the black and red boy standing before her.

"I'd l-like to ask you for a f-favour…" she murmured, feeling very self-conscious all of the sudden.

"… Would you like to come in?" he asked, and stepped aside, allowing her entrance to the cosily decorated apartment. Judging by first-impression, one wouldn't see Shadow the Hedgehog as the type of guy to have such an inviting, homely home as this. Cream had gotten to know him a bit more during the time he'd been with Sonic and the rest of them, though, and found it fitting.

His apartment was like him; neat and proper. In contrast to his dark fur, though, the home had light pastel colours only broken by curtains and other details in warmer, deeper colours, which gave it a nice harmony.

Cream had only been there once before, and was still very impressed by the place.

"Would you like something to drink, Miss Cream?" his voice was soft, and he was as gentleman-like as always. He had changed over the time since he last came back – or perhaps, Cream thought, he had simply found himself again after fighting the conflicts in his own heart.

"No, thank you, I need to get home soon…" she murmured, sitting down on the sofa as he motioned for her to do so.

"All right. It seems you'd like to get down to business. What's on your mind?" he asked, sitting down in a chair opposite the sofa, eying her with mild curiosity. Cream took a deep breath and decided that it would be best to just get it out.

"Would you like to enter a c-competition in ice skating with m-me?" she asked quickly, and couldn't manage to look at him as a heavy silence followed her question.

"… There's a competition coming up?" he asked slowly after a while, and she nodded, quickly explaining how she had no one to dance with since her partner had fallen, and how she really had been looking forward to it.

"I… I understand if you don't want to, it's really ok! I just… started thinking of you, and I t-though maybe…" she realized she was rambling and quickly shut up, biting her lower lip nervously.

"I see. Well, Miss Cream, I'm sorry to say I know nothing about ice dancing… Sure, I skate all the time, but dancing… Besides, it's a different kind of skating than what I do, I believe."

"Oh… Ok. It's okay, really, I'm sorry for asking." She stood and was about to take her leave when he stopped her by gently calling her name.

"If it is all right… could we meet at the ice range tomorrow morning at nine o' clock…? I'd like to give it a try. After all, this seems to mean a lot to you."

She turned around and stared at him, noting his small, uncertain smile and the sincerity in his eyes. A bright smile spread across her lips as she nodded vigorously.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Shadow! Thank you!"

_oOoOo_

As it turned out, Shadow was a natural talent at the ice range, quickly getting into the techniques of skating on the ice, and doing the jumps and moves flawlessly. Cream was very impressed, and couldn't help but admire him when he moved so effortlessly across the ice.

"So… what do you think? Shall we try dancing then?" he asked after a while, sliding to a halt next to her, not even having broken a sweat. He truly was amazing… She nodded happily and then started showing him the pair moves they needed to do. She had been a bit worried about that part, but she quickly realized she had no reason to.

The rhythm was in his body and he easily performed the difficult lifts in tune with her, getting the timing and everything perfectly right. It also seemed like he enjoyed it, having a small smile on his lips as they moved together across the range.

"You are very good at this, Miss Cream," he murmured, making her cheeks heat up with pride.

"You too, Mr. Shadow!" she exclaimed, giggling as she noted the slight blush on his tan muzzle.

"Oh, I don't think I am… but if you still want me to go with you to the competition, I will."

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, giving him a hug on impulse, noting the blush deepening on his cheeks at this sign of affection. He clearly wasn't used to people hugging him, and Cream found that quite sad. He was a very nice guy; he was just… misunderstood by most people.

_oOoOo_

The competition was closing in, and Cream was getting steadily more nervous, and also excited. Only four days left now…

The training that day had gone remarkably well, and Cream was in a quite happy state of mind. The two headed back together, as they had every day since they started practicing, and as usual, he followed her all the way to the gate outside her home, giving her head a quick pat before turning to walk home.

"W-wait, Shadow…!" she had stopped called him "Mr. Shadow" a while ago, and after some convincing, he'd stopped calling her "Miss Cream" too.

He turned back to her, waiting calmly for her to continue, and she smiled gently.

"Would you like to come in for a little while?"

A look of hesitation crossed his face, as though he was wondering if it was really proper for him to enter someone else's house, and especially that of a young rabbit and her mother. Cream knew he was uncomfortable around people still, but she really wanted her mother to meet him.

"I wouldn't want to bother you…" he began, but she shook her head walking forward and gently grasping his hand, giving a comforting smile. It seemed, as usual, to melt him a little, and his eyes softened as he gave a nod.

"Mama, I'm home," she called as she walked in, noticing Shadow tense a bit as he looked around.

"Welcome home, Cream… oh." Her mother came out of the kitchen, still wearing an apron, and looked in mild curiosity at Shadow, who gave a polite bow. "You must be Shadow," she smiled, coming forward.

Cream smiled as her mother introduced herself to her friend, and her smile broadened a bit more when she noticed Shadow blushing slightly when she praised him for his efforts at the skating range – She hoped he wouldn't be angry that she had told her mother about the training and how good he was.

"Please, do come in! Will you join us for dinner, Mr. Shadow?" Vanilla said, smiling warmly. He looked like he was about to object meekly, but a bright smile from the young girl did the trick, and he gave a nod.

"If it's not too much trouble," he said calmly, probably tempted by the welcoming smells from the kitchen in the small, inviting home. One would have to be dead and buried if one didn't get affected by the delicious scents of her mother's cooking, Cream reasoned.

After setting the table – and Shadow had insisted that he'd help – the three settled to eat in peace. At first, Shadow was rather tense, but it seemed that Vanilla had the same heart-warming effects on him as Cream did, and soon he looked rather relaxed, really.

Cream eagerly told her mother about the training, and how she looked forward to the competition. She also made sure to put in some compliments for Shadow, which he responded to by blushing slightly, but also smiling gently.

Really, the young man had been given far too few compliments and kind words throughout his existence, and even though Cream knew she couldn't make up for that in any way, she was certain that she would give him as many kind words as she possibly could, to show him that he was actually loved and cared for, not as a weapon or ultimate life form, but as a living, breathing hedgehog.

She didn't know exactly when she'd realized, but he'd come to mean a lot to her. He was like a big brother to her; someone to look up to and admire, and also love.

A series of crashes outside made her give a startled yelp, and she stood from her spot, quickly heading over to the window. It was there she noticed the mecha bots stomping through the streets, after a blue flash, she recognized to be Sonic.

"What's going on…?" Vanilla asked worriedly, standing and walking over to the door. Cream and Shadow quickly followed and gasped as a laser beam from one of the bots nearly zinged the rose bushes by the gate.

"Wait inside," Shadow murmured quickly as he ran out on the street. Sonic skidded to a halt next to him after avoiding one of the laser beams.

"What's going on?" Shadow asked calmly, yet also with a hint of anger in his voice. Cream reckoned it was because the bots had broken the peaceful atmosphere at their home.

If Sonic wondered what on earth he was doing at Cream's house, he didn't ask, but simply focused on the situation at hand and gave a small frown, which wasn't really very characteristic for him.

"Seems Eggman wants to disturb the peace and order yet again," he said in a light tone, although those who knew him could sense that he was tenser than usual.

"Those bots… They're different from the earlier ones," Shadow mused quietly, and Cream had to concentrate to hear what the two said, where she stood in the door way.

"Yup. Seems they are a bit more intelligent, and also-" Sonic leapt out of the way as one of them crashed through the air, crushing the ground where he'd just stood. "And also faster and more vicious…!" he growled quietly. Shadow nodded, glancing quickly at Cream before motioning for Sonic that they had to lead them away from there.

Cream stared after them, feeling her heart beat quicker as they headed of in the direction of the shore, where there weren't as many people living…

"Mama, I'm going after them. I have to see if I can help," she said, turning to her mother, who now got a strict look of concern.

"You are doing no such thing, Cream! Let them handle this, it's too dangerous!" Cream shook her head quietly.

"But Mama-"

"Cream, listen to me… I don't want you to be hurt, you're all I've got now after Papa died…" Vanilla's eyes were so expressive that they nearly made her back down, but not quite.

"Mama… You let me go to space with Sonic and the others, and I've fought with them before. I'm not going to let myself be hurt, but I can't let my friends fight without trying to help!" Cream straightened to her full not-so-tall height, giving the most pleading and strong expression she could.

Vanilla started to shake her head, but then bent down, hugging her gently before nodding.

"All right, love… but be very careful!" she said, and Cream nodded before sprinting down the street, Cheese following closely behind her. She knew her mother was worried, but she had a bad feeling about this…

Sonic and Shadow had lead the bots down to the shore, just as she expected, and what more, it seemed they were struggling a bit. She was relieved when she saw Tails flying towards them, along with Amy.

She watched from a distance as Sonic leapt out of the way of the gigantic arm of one of the bots, just as it smashed into the concrete beside the wooden docks.

All she could do for the moment was stand there and watch as they fought; silently getting more and more worried about the way Sonic seemed to get tired and the way Shadow seemed to get frustrated at this development.

She couldn't stop the shriek from escaping her lips as Sonic was hit straight on, getting thrown back into some of the old buildings nearby.

"Mr. Sonic!" she gasped, and realized too late that attracting attention to herself wasn't the smartest thing she could have done. She gasped as one of the bots closed in on her, seeming a lot bigger and more deadly close up. She wasn't about to let it frighten her, though.

Jumping into the air, her ears flapped in other to keep her flying, and she readied herself to attack along with cheese. Hitting the bot across the face barely made it take a step backwards, and she gave a small scream as it grabbed her, clutching her tightly in its metallic arm.

"Cream!" The arm was practically torn straight of as Shadow hit it, splintering the machinery with his spin attack. She remembered to flap her ears again to avoid crash landing on the ground, but froze in mid air as she watched the machine grab Shadow next, hitting him down into the concrete with a blow that knocked the air out of his lungs before squeezing him into the ground with crushing force until he gave a strangled cry of pain.

What was up with these things?! She'd never heard him cry out before, and the sound sent shivers down her spine. It also awoke a rage that made her blindly attack it again, trying her best to destroy its last arm to make him let go of Shadow.

"Let him GO!" she screamed, kicking and hitting it as best she could, tears of anger and concern filling her eyes.

"C-Cream, get away!" Shadow gasped, and Cream realized that she was straight in the path of the laser beam the bot released. She barely had time to blink before getting pulled out of the way by a dirty and injured Sonic.

He gave her a grin. "You did great, Cream, but I'll handle this guy from here," he said, winking at her. She knew it was his way of saying that he understood that she wanted to fight, but also wanted to protect her from harm.

To handle the bot wasn't as easy as it seemed, however, as the bot seemed to have a few more tricks up its sleeves. It was the last one left, after they had finished the others, but this was also the largest and most devious out of them.

Sonic spun in order to hit it straight on, but gasped as wires of some sort shot out of its breast, wrapping themselves around him tightly, squeezing him, until the blue hedgehog couldn't breathe.

Cream was paralyzed, but gasped at the sudden explosion by the bot's arm, realizing that Shadow had managed to free himself, standing with some difficulty and holding his bracelets in his hands. How strong was this thing, if he even needed to take of the bracelets?!

Spinning, the black and red hedgehog hit the bot straight in the chest, knocking it out of balance before cutting the wires that held Sonic in place, leaving the blue hedgehog to fall to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

Shadow kept pushing it back, avoiding laser beams and the wires shooting out to grab him. It seemed that things were actually going fine, when suddenly, the bot seemed to gain a boost of energy, leaping up and straight towards her, ready to crush her.

It seemed things were going in slow motion. She was unable to move, and barely heard Sonic's gasp and the screams of Amy and Tails. The bot got nearer, and Cheese screeched where it perched on her shoulder in fright.

A light blinked at the bot's chest, and she realized with a start that the thing wasn't intending to crush her. It wished to blow itself into oblivion, taking her with it…!

Then all of the sudden a black flash was in front of her, and she looked straight into the deep red eyes of the man she'd come to care deeply about. He picked her up, and shielded her small, frail body with his own. Then he leapt into the air and she screamed as the deafening blow enveloped them and sent them flying.

A moment everything was turned into a whitening chaos, and she thought for sure they had died. Then she found herself rolling across the grass on the other side of the docks, and finally stopped, her ears ringing.

Struggling a little, she managed to sit up, looked around… and let out a choked scream as she saw Shadow lying beside her in the grass, his body heavily injured and his eyes closed as he lay motionless, bleeding heavily.

She heard the others arriving quickly, and vaguely noticed Amy embrace her, checking her for injuries. She had none, as she could feel, but then again; her body and mind was numb with fear for her friend.

Tails quickly checked the other hedgehog, paling before ordering something to Sonic and picking up his phone to call someone. Cream vaguely heard Amy's concerned cry as she collapsed, giving in to unconsciousness…

_oOoOo_

Her eyes opened with a start, and she blinked, staring up into a white roof. For a moment, panic crossed her mind, as she couldn't remember what had happened or where she was. Relief flooded through her when she noticed her mother, Amy and Tails standing beside her bed, smiling brightly when they noticed she was awake. Amy and Vanilla had tears in their eyes.

"Cream…! Thank God!" Vanilla murmured, holding Cream's small hand in her own.

"W-what…" everything seemed to come back to her with a rush, and she gasped, sitting up, ignoring the protests of her slightly aching body.

"S-Shadow! Is he all right?! Where is he?!" she gasped, and noticed the hesitation in her friends' faces. No, she didn't like the way their expression turned so serious and sad all of the sudden… That was never a good sign.

"H-he's not… he's ok, right?" she asked again, her voce thin with fear.

"Cream, Shadow was very badly injured… he fractured several bones in his body, and lost a lot of blood… T-they said his heart stopped for a moment while he was in surgery, but… he's going to survive." Amy gave a sad, weak smile, tears yet again threatening to escape her eyes.

"He'll be ok, Cream. They don't know for sure when he'll wake up, but… we just have to believe in him! He'll make it!" Tails said, trying to sound as cheerful and optimistic as he could.

Cream nodded slowly, tears running down her muzzle.

"Oh, it'll be ok, sweetie," her mother hugged her gently, and Cream let herself be held, letting the tears fall.

_oOoOo_

Saturday came around, and Cream was sitting by the window at her house, looking out on the sunny weather with a solemn expression that didn't really fit her face.

Shadow was making progress, but when she visited the day before, he still hadn't woken up yet. Luckily, his body healed rather quickly, but he was still in a bad condition. After getting checked and released, she had been sitting by his side for the last two days, talking softly to him, as the doctors had told her it might wake him up sooner.

"Cream, I'm sorry about the competition… you'd really been looking forward to it and working hard…" her mother said softly from behind her, but Cream shook her head. She wasn't even thinking about the competition anymore.

Or well, she was thinking about it, but tried not to, because it made her feel really stupid. She should be really happy that Shadow was doing all right, not brooding because of some silly competition.

A knock on the door made her mother give a small sigh before walking of to see who it was. Cream didn't even look, it was probably one of her friends wondering if she was all right or something.

"What are you doing?" she gasped, eyes widening as she nearly fell out of her chair as she turned abruptly.

There, clad in the deep red clothes she's borrowed for him for the competition, with his quills neatly groomed and only a few bandages on his left arm, was Shadow.

"S-Shadow! W-what…? Are you ok?!" she gasped, standing abruptly from her seat, running over to him.

"I'm perfectly fine. What about you? Why aren't you ready, yet, the competition will start in only half an hour, right?" he gave a small smile, and she felt tears flood her eyes as she ran over to him, giving him a hug before he could protest.

"B-but… You're still injured!" she said worriedly. He gave another one of his smiles and patted her head gently.

"Like I said, I'm fine. I promised I'd participate with you, and I always keep my promises. This means a lot to you, after all. Now, get ready. I'll be waiting."

She didn't need any more convincing, sprinting of in a hurry to get dressed in the white and pale blue dress she'd practically been dreaming of wearing. It was beautiful, and just like Shadow's outfit, it had been borrowed from Leah.

Putting it on, she combed her fur, quickly, cleaning herself up and looking at herself in the mirror in a moment of quiet awe. She looked… like a princess! The dress was just as gorgeous as it was last time she tried it on, if not more.

Finishing off by putting the deep red flower accessory by her ear, she ran out to the living room again, seeing Shadow smiled warmly at her. Vanilla had also gotten ready to go, her camera in her hand as she smiled proudly at her daughter.

"B-but, we'll be too late…!" she gasped, looking at the clock.

"No, because we're not walking today." Shadow held out his hand and she took it, holding her skates in the other hand as he pulled out his chaos emerald. "This will go quicker. It will be a little uncomfortable the first time, but don't worry." She nodded nervously and took her mother's other hand.

"Ready?" at the two rabbits' nods, he nodded back, his voice firm at his next words. "Chaos Control!"

_oOoOo_

"I'm so nervous…" Cream murmured where they stood, waiting for the last couple before them to finish.

"It's all right to be nervous, if it helps… I'm nervous too. But let us do our best, Cream." Cream nodded at Shadow's words, noticing the slightly nervous expression in his deep red eyes, which was the only thing betraying his emotions. Otherwise, he looked as calm and confident as ever.

There were so many people out on the tribunes…! Cream had never danced in front of so many people before, and she could feel her heart beating with nauseating speed in her chest. She was certain Shadow would hear it.

"It'll be ok. Trust me on this, Cream," Shadow said, calmly, and she actually found herself relaxing a bit at his words.

"I trust you, Shadow," she smiled, and the gentle warmth in his eyes was the best reward she could have gotten.

"And now, ladies and gentleman, the next couple out is Cream and Shadow!"

He took her hand, and then they glided in unison out on the ice range, to stand in the middle, waiting for the music to start.

It begun and the entire crowd were silent as they began dancing across the ice in perfect harmony, both looking elegant and confident. It must have been a bit of a sight; a fairly scary-looking, black and red hedgehog, dressed in the same colours, and the small, innocent-looking rabbit, dressed in a white dress that contrasted greatly to her partner.

To Cream, it seemed that the entire crowd disappeared, and all she could see and hear was the gentle yet powerful rhythms of the ballade they were dancing to, and her partner's flawless movements, despite his close brush with death only days before.

It all ended far too soon, in her opinion, although the sound of the crowd gasping with awe as they performed the final lift perfectly, a difficult one they'd been working on, was more than rewarding enough for the efforts.

Shadow put her down and gave her a quick one-arm hug as people rose from their seats, applauding and cheering a lot more enthusiastically than they had done for the rest of the competition.

Several roses were tossed down on the ice for them, and Cream felt truly proud. And as they stood there, Shadow held her hand in his own, smiling softly.

All in all, it had gone much better than she had dared to hope for, and she couldn't help but find it much, much more wonderful than her dream.

_oOoOo_

_~Owari~_

_oOoOo_

_I hope my little story was enjoyable ^^ My first try at a Sonic fan fiction, but I did my best :)_

_~Wolfie~_


End file.
